Just brew it — a new study out of China finds that moderate coffee consumption can lower the risk of developing a combination of diabetes, stroke and heart disease known as cardiometabolic multimorbidity.
The researchers determined that draining three daily cups of coffee, or 200-300 milligrams of caffeine, can lessen the odds by more than 40% compared to non-drinkers or consumers of less java.
“The findings highlight that promoting moderate amounts of coffee or caffeine intake as a dietary habit to healthy people might have far-reaching benefits for the prevention of [cardiometabolic multimorbidity],” said lead study author Dr. Chaofu Ke from Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University.
Cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CM) is defined as having two or more cardiometabolic diseases — Type 2 diabetes, heart disease or stroke.
About 34 million US adults had CM in 2017, according to government data.
For this study, around 360,400 UK residents shared their daily intake of caffeine, coffee or tea.
The researchers tracked the participants for around 12 years — about 2,700 developed CM.
The team studied plasma samples from nearly 185,000 participants, measuring 168 plasma metabolites, which are small molecules produced by cells that are involved in many metabolic reactions throughout the body.
These metabolites painted a picture of the participants’ cholesterol metabolism, fatty acid composition and other processes.
The researchers determined that coffee and caffeine consumption at all levels lowered the risk of developing CM, with the lowest risk tied to moderate intake. The findings were published Tuesday in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
There were some limitations to the study, including that caffeine intake was only studied in relation to coffee or tea and not sodas or energy drinks.
Still, the authors said their study identified “a range” of metabolites associated with coffee, tea and caffeine, which may provide clues about chemical reactions within the body.
“Future studies are warranted to gain a more in-depth insight into the pathway from coffee, tea and caffeine intake to circulating metabolites and then to CM,” the researchers wrote in their findings.
They noted that caffeine has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, a hallmark of Type 2 diabetes, and harmful cholesterol.
High cholesterol levels can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Coffee and tea are also major sources of phenolic acids and polyphenols, which boast antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Chronic inflammation has been linked to insulin resistance.
“From the prior literature, we know that moderate caffeine has a relatively neutral effect on cardiovascular disease but that it may protect against diabetes,” Dr. Nisha Parikh, co-director of the Center for Women’s Heart Health at the Northwell Cardiovascular Institute, told The Post.
“In light of prior studies, I currently tell my patients that moderate caffeine intake does not cause atherosclerosis (or plaque build up in blood vessels), it may lead to palpitations, and it has some modest protection against diabetes,” added Parikh, who was not involved in the new study.
The Food and Drug Administration recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day for healthy adults.
Too much caffeine has been shown to cause restlessness, dizziness, nervousness, headaches and other health problems. Caffeine too late in the day, meanwhile, may lead to sleep troubles.
